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Sep 15 something to give

If you’re like me, you’re prone to turn to God for of all kinds of things…for your benefit.

You might think like I do, He is my Father, my Comforter, my Rock and my Redeemer. At times, these words quickly roll off of my tongue, without slowing down to consider their meaning.

Yes, He is our Father. Jesus made it abundantly clear in His ministry. Through Christ, we are able to go into the Presence of God, be comforted, and find stability in the topsy-turvy world we walk. He alone has brought us into this relationship. It hasn’t or isn’t earned; it has been granted.

Then, in 1 Peter 2 we’re told we are His holy priests. Made to come before The Creator to offer spiritual sacrifices.

“And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What's more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” 1 Peter 2:5

This thought hit me more profoundly, recently. When I worship, I come into His Presence to pour my heart out to Him, I have something to offer no one else can give my Father…me. This is true for every one of His children.

Before I took my son back to school, we talked about going to an Astros game. I was born in Houston, and consider the Astros my favorite big league team, but neither one of us had seen a game at Minute Maid Park. Davis came to me and asked if we could go.

We had great seats; this should be a picture of Davis and me, but we're guys...so I took a pic of how close we were to the field :)

As a dad, it’s different when a child asks me to do something with them. If I ask, we’ll still have a great time, but when they ask, and want to be with me, it means more. We had a great day together. It was more significant to me because my child wanted to do this with me.

So, it is when we come into our Father’s Presence. Hard as it may be to imagine, because we see Him as so much greater than ourselves, He gains something from us. In fact, we were made for this very purpose.

In Romans 8 we are referred to as His children, and in 1 Peter 2, we’re called His very own possession. He made us His, for a relationship with Him. And in the same way my son or daughter can offer me something significant, you offer your Heavenly Father something He desires more than anything else…you.

So, when our worship is corporate, with our brothers and sisters, praising Him, we should worship like we’re offering a gift to our Father no one else can offer.

Or if we’re alone with Him, reading His Word, we shouldn’t forget He loves we are there with Him.

Or if we’re sitting quietly in His Creation, and we sense His Presence, we need to remember it’s not just meaningful to us, but has an impact on our Father who loves us so much He was willing to give everything, for the moment we share.

We need to worship like it matters, because it matters more to our Father than we realize. It is a spiritual sacrifice, and it pleases Him.